For the third time in Bulgaria shifu German from Chicago, a private student of Master Yang Jun, led the traditional summer seminar of Yang style Taijiquan Association in Bulgaria.

It was attended by trainees from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Lovech, Burgas, Svilengrad and Stara Zagora. A new school joined our Association - the group of Silvi Velev, student of Krassimir Dimitrov, long time instructor with his own achievements in Taiji, beautiful calligraphy and artist of Chinese paintings (guohua)

On Friday there was an instructors' seminar, which was attended by most of the instructors of the Association. It took place in the halls of the Academy of Martial Arts in Plovdiv at Opalchenska St 13. The host was shifu Stanislav Bagalev. He has practised taiji since 1987, four times national champion of taiji taolu.

Shifu German examined the proficiency of the participants in the hand form and pointed out a few basic ideas that should be followed during the more difficult transitions. He also talked about the proper way of following the 10 essentials and how to implement them in each movement. The next parts were the circular tuishou routines and their martial applications. The exercises with sword, the basics of the teaching methodology and the generation of force in the correct movements were the last topic of the instructors' seminar.

The common seminar started early in Saturday in the gym of the school “Нristo G. Danov”, because the numbers of the trainees from the whole country were too great to accommodate in the Plovdiv Academy of Martial Arts. Everyone was dressed in the traditional clothes of the Association, which added to the feeling of unity.

Shifu German started the seminar with a brief introductory word on the theory of the basic principles of the correct performance of the form, the proper posture of the body, movements of the limbs, breathing and concentration. Then he observed the form and added several important details. He divided the group in two, beginners and more advanced trainees, so that everyone could practice tuishou and martial applications that corresponded to their rank, according to the requirements of the training schedule.

Krassimir Dimitrov – The Chinese, the head of the Yang style Taijiquan Association in Bulgaria was the main assistant in this part of the seminar. He was one of the first teachers of Taiji in Bulgaria, with proven abilities in different international forum. Many of his students have won international titles in Wushu and Taiji, and some of them have school outside of the country.

The first day of the seminar ended with a general meeting and dinner, which helped everyone to get to know each other.

The second day of the seminar followed the same program but with more details and ideas about the significance of the martial applications of the movements of the form.

There were a lot of questions by the trainees, but shifu German always answered with a smile and patience. During the last part of the seminar some of the participants received diplomas after they passed a ranking test.

The final words of shifu German about the seminar were words of contentment with the work accomplished during the year by both instructors and trainees.

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